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| Damn, that looks good! |
In addition to the tread pattern design, tire construction plays a huge role in grip levels, turn-in feel, and ride quality. The tire sidewall acts essentially as a spring and damper while providing the supporting structure, all in one. In a street tire application, going too stiff will cause a harsh ride and going too soft will create a floating feeling with poor turn-in and slow transitional response.
This is where Bridgestone’s experience in F1 and MotoGP pays big dividends. If you ever watch F1 cars in super slow-motion going through the corners, you can watch the tires flex and deform as they go over the curbing. On an F1 car, the behavior of the tire plays a major role in the grip level of the car and the tire is essentially another component of the suspension system. To highlight the importance of tire construction, before rule changes were enacted, each rider in MotoGP had tires constructed specifically for them based on their riding style and motorcycle characteristics, for every track. In motorcycle racing, ‘feel’ is essential to going fast, and tire construction is a major contributor. The construction also had to be optimized for each rider to maximize tire grip and longevity based on how they used (or abused) the tires. Currently in MotoGP, tire construction is dependent on the race track. An example is Estoril, Portugal, where Bridgestone uses an asymmetric construction in the rear tire to better handle the slower left-handers versus the higher speed right-handers.
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| We will be working on closing up the fender gap with some suspension work soon! |
The S2000 comes with a staggered tire fitment from the factory with 215/45-17’s in the front and 245/40-17’s in the rear. We selected a 245/40-17 RE-11 on all four corners for Project S2000. A lot of people go for larger 255’s all around but we wanted to have plenty of fender clearance. We wanted to avoid rolling the fenders rather than appeal to the Hella Flush aesthetic.
If you want to learn more about the RE11 and how Bridgestone went about developing it, hop on over to www.Potenza.com.
